Two

Orel dumped me on the neck of a horse and threw his body on the horse immediately, it happened very fast for him but I am sure that it is his usual speed he uses. The horse took off as I tried my best to stay on the saddle, at my struggle, he rearranged me on his horse and that should be impossible to achieve, I did not know how he did but I was too busy trying to remain in the saddle to worry about it.

And that was when I realized, with Orel’s palm on my back that meant that he kept just one hand on the reins and the horse was moving so fast that I am sure it was like an arrow flying through the air. 

“Stop struggling, you will not come to any harm, not under my watch.” He said gruffly but unlike in the fields, I was not reassured by his words at all.

“That is nice to know but you keeping one hand on the reins is not very reassuring sir.” I bit out with a sarcastic edge, I was purposely antagonizing him and he knew it… his reaction was what I was hoping to help me survive in the minefield I just found myself, better a minefield than death I suppose.

Orel chuckled again as if my biting words were that of a jester to make people laugh. “Stormpacer is an intelligent beast. He knows the way, I don’t need to hold his reins to guide him.” 

I did not know that it was possible for my stomach to drop but it did as everywhere went blurry at his words. If I had anything in my stomach, it would be threatening to make a reappearance now but there was nothing there.

 “Please, do not let go of the reins.” I begged in a tiny voice and he released a burst of laughter, the sound was rich full and uninhabited so much that it shocked me to turn and look at him the best I could.

“Don’t worry wife, I don’t plan on scaring you into old age, I plan on sharing your bed with you while you are still youthful,” Orel said as I snapped my eyes down and kept my mouth shut. 

Saved or not, it doesn’t change the fact that I am going to be raped. For the rest of the journey, I was quiet, thinking about my fate and I think that Orel had noticed that my mind was in turmoil because he didn’t bother me with trying for a conversation which was surprisingly considerate of him. 

Close to the settlement, Orel took his hands off Stormpacer reins and my heart jumped to my throat when the horse increased its speed and within minutes we were at the other end of the settlement.

 I tried to keep my stomach from revolting but there was nothing I could do, it refused to settle, regardless of the fact that it was empty. As soon as Orel came down, I started moving restlessly on the horse and he was forced to remove me quickly from Stormpacer back, as soon as my feet landed, I wrenched myself out of his hold and fell on the ground to dry heave, as there was nothing more in my stomach.

“Orel” a voice boomed close to my left that had me jerking in shock. “Welcome back.” A large man with the voice said as he clasped hands with Orel then drew him into a back pat, between two of them, it looks more like punches to the back.

“It is good to be back Elison,” Orel said with his voice warm with happiness.

I must have made a sound because the large man's gaze turned to me as he eyed me with an ill-concealed interest, not a sexual interest but more of a strange little being.

“And who is this?” he asked as Orel grinned as he replied the man.

“My wife.”

“What do you mean your wife?”  Elison asked his friend who seemed to have returned with a gentle-looking doe for a wife instead of a glorified nag and shrew who is never pleased with anything and cannot keep her mouth shut to save her life. “Have the stress of having such a shrew as betroth gotten to you?” 

Orel released a smile at his friend's words, best friends since the cradle, the two of them were practically twins but from different parents. “I mean exactly that. The only woman whom I am required to spend my life with is in my tent calming her mind and wondering how she is not dead yet.”

“Where is she from and who is she, that she has the power to canceled out your arrangement with Lady Estrid without much controversy? Something you have been trying to do for the better part of a decade,” Elison asked as he pours some ale into a goblet for his friend.

“Oh there will be controversies but nothing we cannot handle, I don’t know where my bride is from or what is even her name, what I do know is that she was a maiden at the hunt,” Orel said as the goblet fell from Elison loose grip, splashing wine everywhere. 

“Have you any idea what you have just done?” Elison thundered at Orel.

Orel calmly looked at his friend straight in the eyes and answered without any doubt in his voice. “Yes, I do”

Elison started to pace around the room ranting to himself in low tones, certain that his friend will be the doom of them all. “Of all foolhardy stunts for you to pull to try and get out of bad situations, this by far, is the most idiotic one that has ever graced your mind. Why will you be playing with the edict of fates in this way? The prophecy has been there for ages and it doesn’t speak of all things being good and wonderful, I don’t know why you are in such a rush to make it come to pass.”

“Eli.” Orel thundered as Elison paused in his pacing to glare at his friend. “I didn’t just do it to escape Estrid, I went to witness the hunt when she started pestering me about when the wedding will take place, then I saw her, her spirit was not broken yet she has accepted her fate, she was kneeling in front of men who were calling out taunts and offensive words yet she had the bearings of a queen. Why will I settle for a noblewoman when I could have the queen? She certainly cannot be worse than Estrid.” Orel grinned and when Elison looked ready to bash his head into his neck he continued.

“Something pushed me to join the hunt, Estrid thought that it was a way for me to release sexual tension since she has warned all women away from me unless they want to suffer for the rest of their lives. She was like a doe Elison , running without stopping or giving up, she outran all of us, including me, the only way I caught her was when her leg got tangled because of some roots and I had to keep her down with my weight lest she would have taken off again and eventually got away. She was going to be the first maiden in 400 years to get away, you know what that means, don’t you?” Orel asked Elison who was suddenly white as if he had seen a ghost.

“’If the white doe gets away, the Dar empire will fall. With her help, it will continue to thrive.’” Elison whispered under his breath, a small piece of the prophecy that foretold of the hardest times in Dar history. 

Orel nodded grimly. “Somehow, my wife will save us all, we know what threatens to fall our empire.” He looked towards the direction of his tent, “Now we also know our salvation.”

***********************

By the time Orel returned to the tent where he had dropped me off, the thoughts running through my head has taken on the form of my worst nightmare, I kept thinking that he was going to kill me. I did not have the strength to pace around the room in my agitated state, not when I have not eaten a good meal in some days and the last time I ate was close to twenty four hours ago. 

I was tried and weak and my eyes were sleepy but I did not dare to close them, not sure of where I will find myself when I do open them. 

The tent flap opened as Orel came in only to pause when he saw that I was still awake. “You need anything?” He asked in his usual gruff tone and I shook my head. Watching him watch me. 

“Why are you still awake then?” He asked as I wetted my lips before I could talk so that my voice will not come out unused. 

I saw him watch the action then started to take off his clothes while I froze. 

He must have seen my deer in headlights look because he chuckled and he shook his head at me. “I promise that I will not do anything to you, this evening.” He said as I nodded, with my expression still unsure. 

I want to believe his words and in a way I do but I do not trust in him, not yet. When he saw my inner conflict, he sighed and he relieved me from it. “You have my word Themis.” 

I nodded, believing that I can certainly hold a warrior to his words. I laid down to rest on the bed that felt like heaven and within minutes I was deeply sleeping.